A Change Of Scenery
Seattle made perfect sense as the base of the first two Coffee Talk games: it is arguably the home of coffee and the birthplace of humanity’s recent obsession with lining high streets with coffee shops.
So, the first question I had when I saw that the new Coffee Talk game would be set in Tokyo was, why the change? And if you’ve ever played a Coffee Talk game, you’ll know this urban fantasy setting is rooted in realism despite containing vampires, werewolves, mermaids and more. But moving it to Tokyo gives developers Toge Productions the chance to expand on that fantasy element with some Japanese supernatural folklore: yokai.
Yokai is a term you’ll have likely come across before thanks to the likes of the Yo-kai Watch franchise (Not a franchise currently on Xbox, but many of the yokai can be acquired as minions in Final Fantasy XIV). But for a real crash-course in what a yokai is, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a brilliant starting place.
Essentially, they are spirits and entities from Japanese folklore. They can take on many forms and abilities, but the word can also used as a wider term for ghosts, monsters and more. At least, in our bastardised Western views.
But our first glimpse of them in the recent Coffee Talk Tokyo demo comes pretty quickly…
Almost Feels Like You Are There
The recently released demo for Coffee Talk Tokyo – which can be downloaded here – gives us access to the first full day, and a bit of the second too. If you are unfamiliar with the series, they are visual novels set in coffee shops where humans and fantasy creatures all mingle together. They are very popular and known for their gorgeous pixel-art and superb lo-fi beats. Those aren’t just my words, although I am a big fan.
Instantly I am calmed and in a zen-like state playing through it. It’s the age-old adage of slipping on a comfy pair of slippers; the perfect accompaniment to these colder nights to come.
Some Old Faces And Some New
Coffee Talk Tokyo introduces us to several new characters but continues plots from the previous two games too. We are introduced to Vin, Ayame, Jun and Fuku – new characters – and Hendry, a returning one.
Hendry is in Tokyo as part of his daughter’s world tour, Rachel. Perhaps a cameo from her will happen in the full game?
Hendry is here to meet Jun, another musician who is wanting to collaborate with Rachel. However, the poor reception to his latest album has left him feeling a bit lost. As I have always said about these wonderfully designed characters, they may not all be human, but their problems are very human indeed. This core pillar of Coffee Talk remains in this sequel/spin-off.
A bit less of a human problem though is that of Ayame. That is because Ayame is a ghost who has not been able to transition to the next plane due to having unfinished business in the real world. Before she can properly pass, she needs to figure that out. Accompanied by Fuku, it’s a tale that will unfold throughout the main game, and another that I cannot wait to see how it pans out.
Not everyone can see Ayame either; some can fully, others can only hear her. You, once again playing as the barista, can do, but it isn’t immediately obvious why. Already, I am fully invested.
One person who can only hear her, and sense her presence is Vin. It turns out Vin is lodging with you as the game starts and also helping out around the coffee shop. Vin is non-binary, but what I love about this is that they just are. It isn’t made a big deal out of the fact that they are, everyone is accepting of it and just gets on with it. It’s a lesson the wider world could learn from.
As well as watching these stories unfold, the other major aspect of the Coffee Talk games is making these patrons a wide variety of drinks. You are a barista after all, and they all come to the shop for a drink. Once again, correct drink creation is crucial if you want to see the best possible outcomes of these stories. And being set in Asia this time, the new drinks have a very Eastern inspiration about them.
And what would a preview of the new Coffee Talk game be without mentioning the Lo-fi Beats to Drink Coffee To. I was quite critical of the soundtrack for Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, but that was only because the first game’s soundtrack was so stellar. Andrew “AJ” Jeremy is once again producing the lo-fi sounds for Coffee Talk Tokyo, and from the snippet we get in the demo, it sounds like it will slot in perfectly.
Coffee Talk Tokyo is still scheduled for a 2025 release, and with Tokyo Games Show just around the corner, the stars seem aligned for a release date there. Don’t quote me on that though.
In the meantime, the first two games are available on Xbox and are both deserving of your time if you have yet to try them. I would say to do so, because even in just the short demo, several references were made to them. Coffee Talk Tokyo feels more like a pseudo-sequel in that sense. But whenever we get that release date, we’ll be sure to let you know.
